In the Film Room: The Vinny Curry Show

Vinny Curry was a one-man show against UAB.

NEPD Staff Writer: Mike Loyko

This isn’t going to be my typical film room post where I breakdown a handful of draft eligible prospects from each team. Instead this is going to be a in depth breakdown of Marshall DE Vinny Curry and his performance against UAB and how I project him going forward.

I have watched alot of football games this season, and this one goes down as one of the most lopsided. It was 38-0 Marshall with 4 minutes remaining until halftime at that point teams began to put in 2nd and 3rd teamers.

Marshall was able to do whatever they wanted all day offensively and defensively, and were talking about a Marshall offense that is ranked near the bottom of every offensive catergory in FBS. I wish I was able to see Curry up against better competition(so do many other scouts) and play in a highly competitive game, however with that being said it was pretty clear from the get go that Vinny Curry #99 was the best player on the field.

1st Quarter

– On the first play of the game Curry slanted down the line and blew up the RB at the line, showing his ability to play inside the tackles.

– The very next play UAB ran a quick swing pass to Curry’s side of the field. Curry read the play and got into the back field, chasing down the RB almost immediately and forcing a fumble, which UAB recovered.

– Was consistantly double teamed, on passes of intermediate length.

– On the next running play UAB tried to trap Curry leaving him unblocked and bringing the backside guard to kick him out. Curry recognized the trap, turned in and blew up the guard, tackling the RB at the LOS.

– The final play of impact on the drive came from Curry rushing the QB forcing him to take off running, Curry pulled off an impressive spin move getting himself free, and chased down the QB from behind after a very short gain.

– The second drive of the game saw UAB go 3 and out, Curry ran a twist on 3rd down, getting pressure up the middle, which forced a quick incomplete throw.

– On consecutitive running plays, Curry scrapes down the line, using his hands and power to get off blocks to make plays on the RB at the LOS.

– With the game getting out of hand UAB was forced to throw more. Curry was utilizing his bull rush which is impressive. He had the OT off balance all day and forced many quick throws.

– His best play of the game came when he was lined up head up the OT on the weakside. He slanted into the B gap, using a swim move on the OG, and sacked the QB which forced a fumble. The most impressive part of the play was Curry’s get off, he exploded off the ball and swam the OG with his left arm before he even had a chance to block him, the QB was on a short drop back, and Curry got to him easily.

– Marshall would push the score to 38-0, yet on the final couple drives of the half Curry was still chasing down plays all over the field. Leaping blockers to make plays and chasing down the plays that went away from him. His motor is really impressive. He goes hard every play.

I didn’t see much of the second half due to some DVR issues, but I did get to see Curry force another fumble. He finished the game with 7 solo tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 3 FF.

Breakdown-

Curry is a prototypical 4-3 DE. He has a good frame measuring somewhere between 6-4/6-5. He will be able to add bulk and strength to his frame although he still has some good bulk to him.

Has great explosion off the ball. Recognizes run plays and comes down the LOS to make the play. He demonstrated to me that he can take on blockers, shed and make plays. Plays with tremendous effort, his motor is going on every play. Was able to chase down both the RB and QB from behind. Uses a good number of pass rushing moves, including a very nice swim move, which led to a sack. Solid tackler, doesn’t let the ball carrier escape once he has them.

His 94 tackles his Jr. season speak to his motor and ability to make plays all over the field. Recognizes plays quickly. Appears to have alot of fun while he is out on the field. At worst he could be utilized as a situational rusher as a rookie as he is still a bit raw.

The biggest knock on Curry right now is his level of competition and rightfully so. UAB is one of if not the worst teams in FBS and Conference USA on a whole isn’t that strong. He will be classified as a possible 3-4 conversion backer, but I think he will be most effective playing with his hand in the ground.

His strength right now for me is a question mark, he will definitely have to add some more bulk at higher levels.

Overall, Curry is a very impressive player. He has all the raw tools to become a very hot commodity in April. The senior bowl, combine and workouts are going to be extremely important to Curry. He will need to prove that he can be successful against the elite offensive linemen. In a year where there aren’t too many pass rushers projected to go in the first 3 rounds, Curry could rise quickly.

If the draft were today I think Curry would go in the second round. How he does at the senior bowl and combine will go along way to improving his stock. For a team like the Patriots who are in dire need of pass rushers Curry is definitely someone to watch.

5 Responses to “In the Film Room: The Vinny Curry Show”

He’s far from perfect, but he does have some from good pass rush skills, and has that relentless motor. I think he will struggle against stonger tackles who can move laterally. And he isnt strong enough to fight off double teams. He’s raw but the talents there